Atlantis - Series 1 Discussion/Spoilers/Speculation

1120121122124126

Comments

  • YosheeYoshee Posts: 407
    Forum Member
    My God, everyone in this thread is so critical. I feel like I'm the only one who thoroughly enjoyed the series... oh well. :D
  • NeilPostNeilPost Posts: 6,067
    Forum Member
    Yoshee wrote: »
    My God, everyone in this thread is so critical. I feel like I'm the only one who thoroughly enjoyed the series... oh well. :D

    I think there another 3 people who enjoyed it :-)

    The underlying gripe is disappointment that you have such a rich history and wide legend arc, a decent amount of funding from the BBC and BBC Worldwide.... and you get this.

    It's like having the weight and intellect of Einstein, Babbage, Galileo, Da Vinci, Tesla, Dyson, Turing on your team... and you deliver the USB cup warmer.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 23
    Forum Member
    I was looking forward to this after the end of Merlin but lost interest half way through. I found it a bit too 'childish', even for a family show and Jason is a bit of a drip (IMO of course).
    Caught up with Sinbad (Sky1?) last week and thought it was much better, acting and story wise. It's a shame the beeb didn't commission that for Saturday nights.
  • CadivaCadiva Posts: 18,409
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    NeilPost wrote: »
    I think there another 3 people who enjoyed it :-)

    The underlying gripe is disappointment that you have such a rich history and wide legend arc, a decent amount of funding from the BBC and BBC Worldwide.... and you get this.

    It's like having the weight and intellect of Einstein, Babbage, Galileo, Da Vinci, Tesla, Dyson, Turing on your team... and you deliver the USB cup warmer.

    I haven't disliked Atlantis, I just find it puzzling as to what it's trying to be. There's the obvious comparison to Merlin - ie take a familiar story and alter it - but it doesn't even do that well. It's a confused mess with a 21st Century opening hook that they seem to have utterly forgotten about and, unfortunately, their lead actor simply doesn't have the same charisma and chemistry that both Bradley James and Colin Morgan had for Merlin.
  • NeilPostNeilPost Posts: 6,067
    Forum Member
    Cadiva wrote: »
    I haven't disliked Atlantis, I just find it puzzling as to what it's trying to be. There's the obvious comparison to Merlin - ie take a familiar story and alter it - but it doesn't even do that well. It's a confused mess with a 21st Century opening hook that they seem to have utterly forgotten about and, unfortunately, their lead actor simply doesn't have the same charisma and chemistry that both Bradley James and Colin Morgan had for Merlin.

    I think that's exactly the problem.

    It's called Atlantis, but it is just a rehashed rag-tag bag of Greek Legends, with the underlying story arc of 'Jason is Theseus', and somehow ended up in a temporaral timeline, and came back again. I can't say that much of any of the Atlantean mythology and stories based on this has been covered - At least Stargate Atlantis had a bit of a go at this, though it got a little up it's own arse and confused by weaving in Arthurian, warlike Alien Deity and tons of other stuff too.


    ...and a historically out of place/timeline real figure like Pythagoras.
  • SliverOfDiamondSliverOfDiamond Posts: 1,465
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    NeilPost wrote: »
    I think there another 3 people who enjoyed it :-)

    The underlying gripe is disappointment that you have such a rich history and wide legend arc, a decent amount of funding from the BBC and BBC Worldwide.... and you get this.

    It's like having the weight and intellect of Einstein, Babbage, Galileo, Da Vinci, Tesla, Dyson, Turing on your team... and you deliver the USB cup warmer.

    I would like to nominate this for "Atlantis Thread: post of the year".

    (Although I quite like the idea of a usb cup warmer to keep my cups of coffee warm when I forget them).
  • NeilPostNeilPost Posts: 6,067
    Forum Member
    Having just watched (a probably unnecessary further remake of The Musketeers), I'm guessing the money, script and acting budget were all spent on this production, and not Atlantis.
  • alexjonesalexjones Posts: 902
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    sorry for bumping the thread but just thought I'd let people know that two new regulars are being added next year Vincent Regan as dion and Amy Manson as medea. not really much information on dion in mythology so not sure what kinda role he is going to play but looks like medea is going to be a villain from what I read about her on Wikipedia, dunno why every female on this show has to be some generic chick who needs men to protect her or a villain, there was one decent female character who saved the guys in one of the episodes but unfortunately she is not being made a regular.
  • Shawn_LunnShawn_Lunn Posts: 9,353
    Forum Member
    Just read, thanks for the bump up.

    Hope Medea is well written, character wise.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 166
    Forum Member
    In other production news.......

    With the budget being cut, Jack Donnelly has been axed and a piece of 2x4 wood from B&Q has been bought in to replace him. Producers are quietly confident that the audience won't actually notice.
  • StressMonkeyStressMonkey Posts: 13,347
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    In other production news.......

    With the budget being cut, Jack Donnelly has been axed and a piece of 2x4 wood from B&Q has been bought in to replace him. Producers are quietly confident that the audience won't actually notice.

    If only that were true :( It would be a massive improvement.

    And if they could somehow swap the scripts with those from Telletubbies it would be almost watchable.
  • Inky BinkyInky Binky Posts: 2,261
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Shawn_Lunn wrote: »
    Just read, thanks for the bump up.

    Hope Medea is well written, character wise.

    Not likely. They should really spend money on getting new & better writers and a capable production crew.
  • LightningIguanaLightningIguana Posts: 21,847
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Shawn_Lunn wrote: »
    Just read, thanks for the bump up.

    Hope Medea is well written, character wise.

    I'm sensing obnoxious, chemistry free love triangle.
  • AirboraeAirborae Posts: 2,644
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I must be one of the few people who actually enjoyed Atlantis Series 1. I know it may not be "Game of Thrones" type, but as a concept it works. More of the reasons why Jason has been thrown back to Atlantis could become clearer next season. Sarah Parish gave a chilling performance and the revelation about her at the end gives the show a lift.

    I seriously can't wait for it later this year and hope it builds on a cracking start.
  • LMLM Posts: 63,327
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    My problem with Altantis was how poor the lead actor was and how not much really happened in each episode. Especially that episode where it was spent looking after a baby. It was daft and pointless. I will give season 2 ago to see if perhaps they have got an idea on what the show is really meant to be showing us in each episode. Considering how well written and how well the story arcs were in Merlin, you wouldn't think the people from that show have created this show as well.

    I will praise how perfectly cast Sarah Parish and Juliet Stevenson are.
  • LudwigVonDrakeLudwigVonDrake Posts: 12,836
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Season 2 starts November 15th.

    Trailer
    http://youtu.be/-2KD3D0RzqA
  • NeilPostNeilPost Posts: 6,067
    Forum Member
    Season 2 starts November 15th.

    Trailer
    http://youtu.be/-2KD3D0RzqA

    I hope it improves, as it's pretty piss poor, in it's UK/Ireland produced quasi or pseudo-historical peer group - (Produced in the same film lot @ BBC Worldwide in Wales) Da Vinci's Demons, Outlander, The White Queen, Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful etc......... and the behemoth and budget rich Game of Thrones fantasy drama..
  • towerstowers Posts: 12,183
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I was surprised to learn that ( warning, spoiler not related to the trailer )
    Ariadne is Queen at the start of S2 as her father has died. It certainly moves things along somewhat and will hopefully provide a stronger Ariadne, as well as decent development for her and Jason's relationship.
  • Sweaty Job RotSweaty Job Rot Posts: 2,031
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    How it got season two is beyond belief, piss poor scripts, a lead actor who cannot act his way out of a wet paper bag but what really irritated me was no character progression and every episode was frankly boring as hell.

    A friend of mine was asked to write for season two and declined because having 'Atlantis' on a writers CV would be embarrassing.
  • towerstowers Posts: 12,183
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    How it got season two is beyond belief, piss poor scripts, a lead actor who cannot act his way out of a wet paper bag but what really irritated me was no character progression and every episode was frankly boring as hell.

    A friend of mine was asked to write for season two and declined because having 'Atlantis' on a writers CV would be embarrassing.

    Star Trek: The Next Generation had some dodgy episodes and acting during season 1 but it blossomed from season 3 onwards, even if it did outstay its welcome in the end. Atlantis: Series 1 wasn't a good show but it was a decent one and is now being given the chance to improve with series 2, either it has or it hasn't..
  • LMLM Posts: 63,327
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I am quick to quit shows if they don't interest me but despite piss poor scripts, direction, major identity issues and one of the worst lead actors I have ever seen in a fantasy show, the show intrigued me, plus what stories that could be told and because of a strong supporting cast. I really hope series 2 is where the show find it's ground and comes out of it's growing pains. These are the people who gave us five brilliant seasons of Merlin, so it's not as if the show is not in good hands with writers and producers.

    While TNG wasn't perfect in the early seasons, the show knew it's identity and what stories it could tell. Atlantis failed miserably to do that, so you can't throw both those shows in a sentence regarding the early quality. One episode of Atlantis had the three leads finding a baby and spending the whole episode walking endlessly around until they found the parents. Many episodes didn't really have much sci-fi or fantasy elements in it and if they had, they were poorly used or were shoehorned to make the episode look better then what it really isn't, or even the ability to tell meaningful stories that provided drama, action and development to any of the principial cast.
  • towerstowers Posts: 12,183
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I am quick to quit shows if they don't interest me but despite piss poor scripts, direction, major identity issues and one of the worst lead actors I have ever seen in a fantasy show, the show intrigued me, plus what stories that could be told and because of a strong supporting cast. I really hope series 2 is where the show find it's ground and comes out of it's growing pains. These are the people who gave us five brilliant seasons of Merlin, so it's not as if the show is not in good hands with writers and producers.

    While TNG wasn't perfect in the early seasons, the show knew it's identity and what stories it could tell. Atlantis failed miserably to do that, so you can't throw both those shows in a sentence regarding the early quality. One episode of Atlantis had the three leads finding a baby and spending the whole episode walking endlessly around until they found the parents. Many episodes didn't really have much sci-fi or fantasy elements in it, or even the ability to tell meaningful stories that provided drama, action and development to any of the principial cast.

    Jack Donnelly isn't as good an actor as Colin Morgan and Bradley James - or even Luke Pasqualino, the youngest lead in The Musketeers - but he's not bad in my view. Those who cast Colin and Bradley in Merlin must surely know how not to cast poor actors?

    Knowing what we know about Ariadne at the start of S2, progression should be at the forefront of the new series.
  • NeilPostNeilPost Posts: 6,067
    Forum Member
    towers wrote: »
    Star Trek: The Next Generation had some dodgy episodes and acting during season 1 but it blossomed from season 3 onwards, even if it did outstay its welcome in the end. Atlantis: Series 1 wasn't a good show but it was a decent one and is now being given the chance to improve with series 2, either it has or it hasn't..

    Yesh, but ST:TNG was still a compelling show from the off, whereas Atlantis is a like a confused mongrel offspring of 10 dog species.
  • NeilPostNeilPost Posts: 6,067
    Forum Member
    towers wrote: »
    Jack Donnelly isn't as good an actor as Colin Morgan and Bradley James - or even Luke Pasqualino, the youngest lead in The Musketeers - but he's not bad in my view. Those who cast Colin and Bradley in Merlin must surely know how not to cast poor actors?

    Knowing what we know about Ariadne at the start of S2, progression should be at the forefront of the new series.

    For a re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-hashing of a show/tale, The Musketeers was everything Atlantis should wasn';t on acting, script, engagement etc..

    If you want a compelling new show, try and grab some of (Battlestar Galactica/Ronald D Moore's) Outlander, as that's awesome, something the BBC should have had it's fingers in, instead of this mess.
  • towerstowers Posts: 12,183
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    NeilPost wrote: »
    Yesh, but ST:TNG was still a compelling show from the off, whereas Atlantis is a like a confused mongrel offspring of 10 dog species.

    Either series 2 will be better than series 1 - and better received by critics - or it won't be.

    We'll find out in a few weeks..
Sign In or Register to comment.